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Gerion Lannister (Ninclow)
Gerion Lannister is a member of House Lannister and the youngest son of Lord Tytos Lannister and Lady Jeyne Marbrand, as well as the young brother to Tygett, Genna, Kevan and Tywin. Said to be a man quick to laugh and with a gift for making others laugh, his relationship with the latter was notoriously stormy, as the Lord Paramount of the westerlands long since had come to mistrust laughter, having heard too much of it directed at House Lannister in his youth as a result of their father's follies, whom in temperament Gerion resembled. Gerion's bright-eyed look on life also meant that Lord Tywin thought him unreliable and overlooked him for all positions of responsibility. The fact that Gerion never achieved knighthood also meant Tywin felt he failed to live up to his duty of contributing to bringing further honors to their family name. In an effort to reconcile with him and prove his worrth, Gerion went on a quest to find the ancestral Valyrian steel sword of his house, and any other treasures that might have survived the Doom of Valyria. Almost a decade passed after his ship left Lannisport, Lord Tywin sent men to look for his lost brother and they traced him as far as Volantis, where half his crew had deserted him because of his intent to sail across the Smoking Sea. History Early childhood Gerion Lannister was born at Casterly Rock in the summer of 255 AC as he fifth of Lord Tytos Lannister's children by his lady wife, Jeyne Marbrand. A happy, healthy little boy, the addition of yet another lion into the fold proved both a joy and a crisis for his family, because of his mother's passing within a moon's turn of his conception. The youngest and most reckless of the five siblings, Gerion's propensity for adventure and excitement was evident from an early age, often wandering off by himself to explore both the castle and its surrounding lands, believing it would allow him to learn all the secrets that the old Kings of the Rock might have left behind.Gerion could also recall several caged lions kept deep down in the bowels of Casterly Rock during his childhood, and being the only one that could reach into the cage and pet them without fear of losing an arm, which his brother Tygett said was because 'the lion know to recognize its own kind', earning Gerion the epithets of "The Cub of Casterly Rock" which stuck with him all the way until his sixteenth nameday. During his formative years, Gerion was very close to their lord father, whom in temperament he resembled more than his older brothers and sister did, much to the chagrin of his oldest borther Tywin: Whereas his siblings had all spent much of theirs being forced to watch their mighty house nearly brought to ruin by the actions of the man who sired them. Gerion's youth meant that he largely was ill-equipped to take heed to the consequences of their father's misrule, even though they all would bring it up every so often in the absence of their father. Blinded by the sweet innocence of a child's faith, however, the significance of the fact that Lord Tytos allowed loans go unpaid and how he let his bannermen do as they pleased while mocking him in their cups and even openly defying him did not properly dawn on him until the proper order of things was restored and The Rains of Castamere echoed through the halls of Casterly Rock during feasts. As a result, Tywin in particular was keen to see Gerion become just as dutiful and though-minded as Kevan. To this end, his older brothers would often take turns engaging the youngest lion in the litter in a game of Come-into-my-castle, which was meant to teach highborn children about the virtue of courtesy, knowledge of heraldry, as well as the friends and enemies of their house. Nor was it uncommon for at least one of them to watch over him as he were being tutored by Maester Volarik, or trained with weapons by Ser Benedict Broom, the master-at-arms at Casterly Rock. Like both Tygett and Kevan, Gerion was also overshadowed by Tywin. Watching how Tygett tried to be his own man, only to grow increasingly bitter and angry as it dawned on him that he would never match the heir to the ancestral seat of their house, Gerion soon concluded that he would not fare much better if he tried. Not particularly impressed with Kevan's decision to to build a life at Tywin's side either, Gerion resolved not to rise to the bait: Life, he decided, would be much easier if he simply mocked the game, rather than to play and lose. Only a boy of five at the time of the War of the Ninepenny Kings, and as such unaccustomed to any sort of military conflict, the fifth rebellion of the exiled House Blackfyre came as a shock to the little lordling, whose existence with his family within the ancient halls of their stronghold had hitherto been a very peaceful one. Their lord father sent a force of eleven thousand westermen under the command of his younger brother, Ser Jason Lannister, to fight beside the army of the Iron Throne. Upon receiving word that his uncle had perished on the field of battle, Gerion immediately told the measter to send a raven to the Stepstones on his behalf, pleading his older brothers, one of which was already a knight by then and accompanied by the other two as squires, to return to Casterly Rock, fearing they too would be put by the sword by the outlaws, exiles and sellswords who had journeyed all the way from Essos to make claim on the Seven Kingdoms. In response to his concerns for the well-being of his own blood, he received a raven of his own, remonstrating him for wasting his time whimpering when he should take pride in their contributions to the war effort, after which Gerion locked himself inside his room and refused to eat anything for two days. After their return, Gerion watched in awe as his brothers, now battle hardened from the war, restored House Lannister to its proper place, in awe over the ruthless efficiency with which Tywin, Kevan and Tygett brought a deceive end to the revolt of the two traitorous vassals of House Reyne and House Tarbeck when they renounced their fealty and rose against their liege lords due to the perceived weakness of House Lannister brought about by Lord Tytos, and how they not only left the shattered remains of their castles as a mute testimony to the fate that awaits those who scorn the power of Casterly Rock. Through the efforts of Tywin in particular, their family continued to prosper for the next few years. In 262 AC, when he was no more than seven, Gerion saw Tywin off alongside his siblings and their lord father when he left for King's Landing to serve the newly crowned King Aerys, who had appointed him the Hand of the King. In his brother's absence, Gerion was always eager to receive words from the capital, where Tywin to no one's surprise quickly proved himself a most diligent or capable a Hand. Tireless, prudent and diligent, the realm saw about twenty years worth of peace and prosperity under Tywin's administration, whom some believed to be the true ruler of Westeros. And just when Gerion had began to wonder whether or not life could not get any better for their family, Lord Tytos suddenly announced how the entirety of House Lannister would journey by horseback to the capital to attend Tywin's weeding to a Lannister cousin by the name Joanna, whom Gerion remembered vaguely as a cousin who had went to visit King's Landing for the coronation of King Jaehaerys II Targaryen, and ended up staying as a lady-in-waiting for the future queen. During the subsequent wedding feast following a very lavish ceremony in the Great Sept of Baelor, Gerion, who was known by all living in Casterly Rock for his strong, sweet voice, paid tribute to the honor of Ser Tywin and his new lady wife by singing The Rains of Castamere, accompanied by the musicians hired to play there. He later mischievously helped himself to some of the wine from Kevan's goblet when he was preoccupied dancing with Dorna Swyft, only for the then eight year old cub to find the beverage too sour for his liking, reacting so violently that their several attendees, their lord father among them, roared with laughter. Even though Tywin himself did not look amused at the time, and Gerion found himself spending the rest of the feast as cupbearer to the groom and his bride, it did not stop Tywin from later offering him a sip from his own as a jest. Shortly thereafter, it was later said within Gerion's earshot by his father's own bannermen that those who had beheld the proud young lions on the field of battle at the Stepstone might rightly have wondered how such could ever have sprung from the loins of the quivering fool beneath the Rock. Adopting this sentiment as his own after a bit of pondering, Gerion confided in his sister that he intended to sneak out in the dead of night and make his way by foot to their relatives in the city of Lannisport, where he vowed to stay until their spineless father's last day. In response to this, his sister Genna told him that it was in truth by their father's detective that their uncle and brothers had gone to war, lying that their lord father 'was a commander, not an infantryman', insisting he had been one of the most trusted advisers in the King's own war council, and the two of them had exchanged countless ravens throughout the war. While Gerion eventually came to recognize the truth, he appreciated the gesture, as it allowed him let go of his resentment and remember the Laughing Lion more fondly after his passing a few years later., rather than carry on bitter over his follies like he knew Tywin would. The later reign of Tytos Within a fortnight of House Lannister's departure from King's Landing, the ruling lord of Casterly Rock in those days had brought a second mistress into his halls to warm his bed. So common was it for noblemen to lay with serving girls when the urge came upon them that no one at Casterly Rock had bothered to tie themselves into a knot over it when Gerion's wet nurse became a paramour to their lord father shortly after the demise of his lady wife. This, however, had only been true until Gerion's brothers had returned from the war, when the relationship between Lord Tytos and his heir soured as a result of their lord father's choices during the rebellion. When the Crown had bid him to gather his banners and come to the field of battle to aid his king, the Warden of the West had remained at home with his mistress and instead sent his next of kin to fight in his stead. Gerion could have closed his eyes and heard their shouting voices echo through the castle, only for Tywin to successfully cow their lord father to send away his lover for the good of the family. This time, however, their lord father had allowed himself to be completely dominated by his second mistress, who before long was seen by Gerion ordering about the household knights, dismissing servants and helping herself to his late mother's jewelery. Honor bound to abide by the authority of the head of the household, however, no Lannister within Casterly Rock whom Gerion grew increasingly angry over was being wrapped around the little finger of a chandler's daughter of all people, was expressively forbidden from 'slandering' Prior to Tywin's victory in the civil war of the lions, conditions in the westerlands had been, to put it at its mildest, thoroughly dismal. Bandits and outlaws had been prowling the roads and terrorized the smallfolk both day and night, all the while his father's bannermen had ignored his orders for them to put an end to their many atrocities, apparently more than content with only seeing to their own affairs only. Thrice in the reign of his lord father, Gerion had seen the king's knights march into the westerlands from King's Landing, whenever the Iron Throne deemed it necessary to intervene and restore order to the west, only for conflict to resume as soon as the forces of the crown departed. The last few years of their father's rule, however, were by contrast a time of relative peace and stability, but not by his doing. Whereas Tywin were often heard of from his place at the King's right hand, credited by many with the attainment of what even more felt to be a period of some long awaited peace and prosperity in the Seven Kingdoms, Lord Tytos Lannister was as weak-willed as ever. Even Gerion, tender of years though he might have been at the time, recognized that the only thing that kept his father's vassals in check were their fear of retribution from Tywin, should they ever try to cause trouble or step out of line again. Coming of age tour Coming... Novice of Casterly Rock Coming... A quest of steel and smoke Coming... The lion's debt Coming... Qarro Volentin Coming... Appearance and Character Gerion is a strong and graceful man in his forties, with hair the color of beaten gold, long enough for it to frame the sharp features of his face like curtains. He has striking green eyes that are flecked with gold and usually twinkles with kindness and mischief. When he becomes genuinely angry, however, his likeness to his lord brother is thought to be rather unnerving. More prideful than he would care to admit, Gerion often dons himself in the finest silks, samites, and velvets, and seldom seen without the Lannister colors of red or gold. An amiable and jovial gentleman, Gerion Lannister is kindhearted, courteous, charming and soft-spoken, quick to laugh and said to be a man with a gift for making others laugh. Like his siblings, he is dutiful and tough-minded, but also possesses a propensity for adventure and excitement that means he would sooner dream of seeing far off places than taking an interest in politics and court intrigue. In his youth, he was an adequate fighter, but not a warrior, much to the chagrin of Tywin, who believed Gerion and their lord father to be too much alike. Even so, Gerion he is still intelligent and well educated, and certainly sharper of wit and tongue than Tywin would be likely to give him credit for. While not as ruthless as Tywin, Gerion still has a manner which demands respect, and not above resorting to using his family name and enormous fortune to bolster his position. Fierce when angered, it is often said of Gerion Lannister that his kindly manner ought not to fool you, because 'a smiling lion still has claws'. Abilities While Gerion Lannister was an adequate fighter in his youth, he was of a more bookish bent than his older brothers and never achieved knighthood, choosing instead to read the thrilling tales of adventurers and wishing to see the world himself. Even so, when he was not reading, there was few things he liked better than to run and ride and climb, meaning that even after training for battle eventually lost every appeal to him, he was still lithe and strong. During his self-imposed exile, however, Gerion befriended a celebrated Braavosi swordsman by the name of Syrio Forel, under whose tutelage Gerion trains as a water dancer and learns how to move and think like a warrior: to be perceptive, move with grace, and command his fear. Within twelve months, Gerion was living by his sword, , swaggering through the nights with his hair dyed and his Lannister finery exchanged for a more inconspicuous attire, and crossing blades with fellow bravos looking to pick fights and prove their skills. After nearly a decade, Gerion finally returned to Braavos after years worth of extensive travel in the Free Cities and outside, where he swiftly developed an appreciation and veneration of all cultures, learning much about the ways and language of those dwelling in the different areas and befriending most he came across. Going by the name of Quarro Volentin, by the time Gerion was named the First Sword to the Sealord of Braavos following the departure of his predecessor, he had already proved true the claim that true water dancers can fight and kill upon the surface of the Moon Pool without disturbing the surface of the water.many times over. Equipment Valyrian steel sword named Silence, forged by one of the finest sword smiths in the city of Qohor from the ancestral greatsword of House Lannister, Brightroar. Shorter than a longsword, yet even lighter and stronger because of the metalwork put into it, Gerion made it so that he could wield a sword that would not stand out too much upon his return to Westeros, yet be small and light enough for him to wield much the same way he would do a Bravos blade. The feeling of wielding it remind him of the wooden practice sword Syrio had him use at the beginning of his training, only slightly lighter and much more deadly. The excess steel was used as payment to settle his debt to the Iron Bank.